Megan

Three Years Later

“Marianne, don’t run ahead, darling.”

The little girl glanced over her shoulder at Megan with a smile that looked so much like her father’s, it nearly stole Megan’s breath away. Marianne let out a giggle of delight and ran forward anyway.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll get her,” Phillip said with a laugh, moving quickly to catch the child.

“He is such a doting father. It is splendid to see.”

Megan glanced toward Anne, who was walking at her side, and replied, “It does make it much easier to handle the girls when he is so willing to chase after them himself.”

The two shared a laugh then turned their attention to their families running ahead of them. Phillip was not only in pursuit of Marianne, but also her younger sister, Katherine, who was toddling away from him. Anne’s husband, Michael, kept a close eye on their son, Roger.

Roger and Marianne were close in age, and Megan could already see they were developing a similar type of bond as the one she had with Phillip when they were young. It made her wonder what Marianne and Roger’s future might hold.

“Do you think our children will marry one day?” Anne asked, as if she could read Megan’s mind.

Megan let out a surprised laugh. “Who is to say? Life is unpredictable.”

She turned her gaze back to her husband and could not help but think about the truth of that statement. After three years of marriage, she sometimes still struggled to believe she was not living in a dream.

Anne suddenly let out a little gasp and stopped walking. Megan turned to her, her eyes wide and heart speeding up with worry.

“Anne? Are you all right?” She rested her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Is it the baby?”

Anne smiled and shook her head. “Oh, it’s nothing. The little one is just kicking, that’s all.”

“Is everything all right?”

Megan waved her hand toward Michael, who was staring back at them with his brow furrowed in concern. Phillip remained occupied trying to collect all three children.

“I’m all right, darling,” Anne answered, offering him a reassuring smile.

“Regardless, shall we sit for a bit?” Megan asked. “There are benches just up ahead, and the children can play.”

Anne did appear somewhat relieved at the suggestion.

“Yes, that would be lovely, I think. I get tired so much easier these days.”

Taking her arm, Megan helped her friend toward one of the stone benches, and they carefully sat together.

“Are you certain everything is fine?” Michael appeared before them, his eyes sweeping over Anne.

She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I am certain, my love. No go and help your friend with the children before they overwhelm him.”

Despite his wife’s reassurances, Michael still appeared hesitant to leave her side.

“I will keep a close eye on her,” Megan promised him. “Should anything happen, I will call for you.”

He slowly nodded. “Thank you.”

After one last lingering look, he returned to assist Phillip.

Anne released a sigh and rubbed her large belly, appearing content despite her discomfort.

“He is always so worried for me,” she said. “It is strangely both pleasing and suffocating at times.”

Megan grinned. “Phillip was the same way for both my pregnancies. Every small complaint I had nearly drove him out of his mind.”

“Well, I would imagine it was far more warranted with Katherine than with Marianne,” Anne replied.

It was a fair point that Megan couldn’t deny. Her pregnancy with Katherine had been a difficult one. There had been instances where she had felt worried herself.

She had felt constantly ill, and whereas Marianne’s entrance into the world had been swift, Katherine’s had been hours of agony and desperation. Thankfully, Phillip had been with her every moment, holding her hand and offering words of encouragement that did not seem incredibly helpful at the time, but in retrospect, were very sweet.

“I fear that when I carry any future children we might have, he will treat me as though I am made of glass,” Megan confessed with a soft chuckle.

Anne smiled and turned her gaze back to their families. Phillip and Michael were running around with the children, chasing them as they giggled and shrieked with glee. It was a heartwarming sight, to be sure.

“Did you ever think we could be this lucky?” Anne asked in a soft voice as she continued to rub her belly.

Megan shook her head and sighed. “No. In a thousand years, I would have never guessed that I would be this blissful with a Clayden.”

Anne laughed outright. “I must confess, I would have never believed such a possibility myself, yet here we are.”

“Indeed,” Megan nodded. “Here we are.”

“And I have Phillip to thank for Michael.”

Megan peeked over at her friend and grinned. Anne was staring at her husband with such blatant adoration, Megan almost felt like a voyeur, bearing witness to something that was not truly meant for her eyes.

“He is a good man,” Megan murmured.

In truth, Michael rivaled Phillip in his stalwart devotion and love for Anne. The way he looked at his wife left little doubt that he adored her completely, was as lost for her as a man could be for his wife.

Michael was one of Phillip’s associates. He and Anne had been introduced at a dinner Megan and Phillip had hosted in the first year of their marriage, and the two had had what some might call a whirlwind romance.

Within six months of meeting, they had been wed.

Megan could not recall Anne ever being happier in their entire lives.

“Oh! The baby is kicking again,” Anne suddenly declared. She reached over and grabbed Megan’s hand. “Here. Feel for yourself.”

Megan rested her hand on Anne’s belly eagerly and let out a gasp when she felt the baby move and shift beneath her palm. No matter how many times she had experienced that exact sensation herself, she didn’t think it would ever prove less incredible.

“The little one feels strong,” she said, smiling up at Anne.

Her friend nodded, her eyes shining with pride. “Like her father.”

“Her?”

“I feel it,” Anne assured her. “Deep down I know it’s a girl.”

Whatever the baby’s gender, Megan prayed that it was strong, and that the birth was easy.

“Mama, mama!” Marianne suddenly called as she ran towards Megan. She had a small bundle of yellow flowers clutched in her little fists. “Flowers!”

“For me?” Megan said, making sure she appeared appropriately shocked and impressed by the offering. When Marianne laid the flowers in her hand, Megan gasped, “They are so lovely, my darling.”

The little girl beamed with pride, and Megan couldn’t help herself as she dropped a kiss to the top of the child’s head.

“Marianne, do you have flowers for me too?” Phillip called.

Giggling, the little girl turned and dashed back toward her father. Megan watched her go, her heart fluttering with happiness.

“How is the Duke?” Anne asked once Marianne was out of earshot again.

Megan’s heart clenched, but she released a small breath and said, “Much better. He had us quite frightened for a time.”

The Duke had severe chest pains nearly a month prior. They had all thought they would surely lose him, but miraculously, he had survived.

The Duchess claimed he was far too stubborn to die so soon.

However, the concern for the Duke’s life had been so great, Phillip had declared that they should return to Dormeton Manor and take up residence there. After all, should his father pass, he would need to begin fulfilling his duties as the next Duke of Dormeton immediately.

At least, that was the excuse. Megan knew that Phillip’s true motivation was the care and well-being of his parents, especially his father. The small rift that had existed between them since Nathaniel’s revelation had been slowly healing over the years, but the Duke’s health scare had significantly sped up the process.

Though he might not yet admit it, Phillip had forgiven his father for keeping the truth about his brother from him. Megan was glad it had happened at last. She wanted her children to grow up in that manor.

The place where she had first fallen in love with their father.

As if her thoughts summoned him, Phillip began walking towards her, a dozing Katherine in his arms. Megan immediately reached out for the child, and he slid the girl into her embrace when he reached the bench.

“Someone has grown tired of playing, it would seem,” he said with a small smile.

Megan cuddled her child against her chest. “Has my sweet baby worn herself out?”

Katherine’s only response was to snuggle deeper into her mother’s arms. Soon, she was sound asleep and breathing softly against Megan’s neck.

“Should we head for home?” Phillip asked, meeting Megan’s gaze.

She looked past him toward Marianne and Roger, who were playing together under Michael’s supervision. They both looked so happy, she hated to bring their fun to an end.

Shaking her head, she replied, “It’s all right. I’ll hold her while she sleeps. Let Marianne continue to have fun.”

Bending down, Phillip pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“All right, my love. Simply call me if you’re feeling tired, yes?”

“Yes.” She gazed up at him, and he cupped her face a moment, running his thumb along her jaw.

Then he retreated back to Michael and the older children.

“Such a little angel,” Anne cooed, gazing down at Katherine.

“She absolutely is,” Megan chuckled. The little girl was solid and warm, but Megan didn’t mind. There was no sweeter sensation for her than holding her children in her arms.

“I do hope I have a little girl of my own.”

Megan could see such a longing in Anne’s eyes, that it made her heart ache. Reaching out, she grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“You’ll get her,” she said with as much confidence as she could insert into her voice. “You will get your little girl, and I will get my little boy.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “Are you... are you expecting again?”

Megan could not hide her smile. “Not so loud, I’ve only just told Phillip my suspicions, but yes, I do believe I am pregnant again!”

Anne clapped her hands together in glee.

“Oh, this is perfect!” she declared. “You shall have a little boy, and I shall have a little girl, and then we’ll have another match to be made between our families!”

Megan let out a bark of laughter. “Slow down, my friend. We should let the babies come before we plan their lives for them.”

Anne pouted. “Are you certain?”

“Yes, I am.”

Looking toward their oldest children, Anne asked, “We can at least plan their lives out for them, can’t we?”

Megan chuckled again. “Why yes, I do believe we can.”

Anne smiled. “Very good. Because those two will definitely fall in love with each other someday.”

Megan gazed on Marianne as she ran circles around Roger, and she couldn’t help but believe that to be true. She looked toward Phillip, who was standing and grinning at his daughter’s antics.

She had fallen in love with him when she was just a girl. It was very possible that her daughter would follow in her footsteps... but it was not something she need worry about that day.

Releasing a deep sigh of contentment, Megan tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the warm rays of the sun wash over her face. She wished moments like these could last forever, but it was as true now as it had been years before, there would be so many more good days to come.

Her life was a dream, born out of a nightmare. Her mother’s death, Nathaniel’s threats... Phillip’s bullet wound. All dark memories that failed to weigh her down in light of the bright memories she had made with Phillip.

He had given her everything she could have ever wanted. Love. Children. A family that was not mired in hate and despair.

She was so lucky to have found him again.

She was so lucky to have fallen in love with her best friend.

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